A Perfect Match
by lostluv
Summary: Two loving parents with a son and baby on the way was ideal for them, but driving home one night struck disaster. A dangerous car crash reveals more for the Shepherd Family than more than the cuts and bruises they suffer.
1. Prologue

CHARACTERS:

Derek Christopher Shepherd

Meredith Elyse Grey Shepherd

Ethan Christopher Shepherd- son of Derek and Meredith; age 3 years old

Baby Shepherd- the unborn child of Derek and Meredith

Owen Matthew Hunt

Cristina Marie Yang-Hunt

Matthew James Hunt- son of Owen and Cristina; age 4 years old

Alexander Michael Karev

Isobel Katherine Stevens Karev

Katherine Faith Karev-daughter of Alex and Izzie; age 4 years old

Liliana Katherine Karev- daughter of Alex and Izzie; age 2.5 years old

Mark Jonathan Sloan

Alexandra Caroline Grey Sloan

Nathan Maxwell Sloan- son of Mark and Lexie; age 3 years old

Caroline Susan Sloan- daughter of Mark and Lexie; age 6 months

Miranda Bailey

William George Bailey Jones- son of Miranda Bailey; age 7 years old

Calliope Iphegenia Torres

Arizona Hope Robbins

Natalia Arizona Robbins- daughter of Callie and Arizona; age 11 months

Background for the Story:

It seemed like they were the perfect family. Two loving parents with a son and baby on the way was ideal for them, but driving home one night struck disaster. A dangerous car crash reveals more for the Shepherd Family than the cuts and bruises that they suffer.


	2. Seems Like It was All Perfect

It was a long day and all Meredith Grey-Shepherd could think about what going home, putting her son to bed and sitting with a tub of ice cream on the couch, watching a romantic comedy with her husband. She finished in the locker room of the hospital and headed towards the elevator. She stepped out onto the 9th floor and as soon as she walked into daycare, her son Ethan came flying towards her. "Mommy", he screamed and she bent down as far as her pregnant frame would let her to scoop up her son and hug him tightly. It had been a long day filled with a rectal exams, and a child's death that crushed her to tell the parents. Her and Derek has worked almost 4 hours in the OR, repairing the child to the fullest extent only for the 11 year old to die hours later from a burst aneurysm. Mer was thinking in her head when Ethan tugged on her hair. She realized she had been standing there aimlessly for a couple of moments and her son was getting impatient which was understandable for the average 3 year old. "Ready to go home buddy" she asked her son and of course, she got the excited yes from her son. She placed her hand out and he eagerly took it and they both strode towards the elevator in search of her man.

Derek Shepherd was standing at the nurses station when he heard the unmistakable yell of his son. His head turned and he saw his boy speeding towards him as fast as his little legs would let carry him. He bent down to catch his son and as soon as he felt the boy in his arms, he tossed him up in the air. He saw from the corner of his eye his wife coming towards them and he gently set Ethan down on the ground. "Again Daddy, again", said Ethan, but Derek was already kissing his wife. "How was your day?", she asked him and he replied with another kiss on the lips. They were so engrossed in their kiss that they lost the touch of reality until they heard the unmistakable sound of their son knocking down the neatly stacked charts. Their heads snapped and they saw their son, guilty look on his face and Mer and Derek begin picking up the charts. They put them back in alphabetical order and each took one of their son's hands in their own before strolling out of the hospital. Outside they bumped into Callie who was talking a break from the ER. Derek asked "Quiet night?", and Callie said "Like you wouldn't believe and hope it stays that way." Ethan said goodbye to his Aunt Callie and the family of three headed towards the Land Rover parked only steps away.

Derek was at the wheel and the family was listening to the radio with Ethan singing as best he could in the back from his car seat. It was fairly dark outside the vehicle and it seemed nobody was on the road on the Thursday night even though it was pretty early at only 6:43 pm. Derek and Mer started talking about the new baby's nursery when Ethan interrupted from the back announcing that he had dropped his cup. Meredith turned and tried reaching back, but her body just wouldn't twist in the correct direction. She sighed and said "Der, can you get his cup because this baby just won't let me move!" Derek smiled beside her and reached back for the cup, taking his eyes off the road momentarily. When he looked back up, he saw the headlights coming towards them and before he knew it, everything went dark.

**HOPE YOU LIKE IT! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


	3. Not Ready for What's to Happen

He moved slightly and heard the glass crunching under him. Derek opened his eyes and looked in the rearview mirror seeing his son in sight. Ethan was screaming in his car seat and Derek didn't no whether it was from the terror of the accident or the big gash on his head that was bleeding profusely. He looked ok otherwise, but being a surgeon, Derek knew not to just judge based upon the outer appearance of his boy. He looked next to him to see Meredith, her eyes closed, and he shook her saying "Mer, you need to wake up." She stirred and finally opened her eyes asking "What happened, Derek?" He said "Car accident. That jackass was driving the wrong way and hit us." Derek tried moving himself to help his wife, but he found himself constricted by the seat belt. He tried taking it off, but it seemed it was locked in place and wouldn't budge. Meredith said "Derek, grab the bag by my feet" and he asked "Why?." He grabbed the bag and inside found her knitting kit, complete with a pair of scissors. Derek cut the belt to his freedom and grabbed the cell phone from his pocket. He heard on the other line "what's your emergency" and Derek said "My family was in a car accident on Dale Avenue and we need help immediately. My name is Dr. Derek Shepherd and I'm a surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital, license 29018302. Please help us."

The ambulances and fire trucks had arrived within moments but to Meredith, it felt like an eternity. Ethan was screaming in the back and even the comfort from Derek was not helping him. Derek had already checked her stomach and found nothing the matter and anyway, the baby was kicking wildly. After the paramedics and firefighters had removed Ethan and Derek from the car, they began to work on her. She was pinned underneath the dashboard and was only freed after the firefighters had totally ripped the dashboard apart. They put her onto a backboard and she headed to the ambulance. She asked "Can I ride with my husband and son?", but the paramedic let her down gently telling her they would all meet at the hospital. Meredith asked which hospital and the paramedic responded with "Seattle Grace."

He was in a separate ambulance than his wife with his son on his lap. Ethan had finally settled down and was sucking his thumb heartily while they took the short ride back to the hospital. He saw them pull up to the ambulance bay and all he could hope for was the best. When the doors were opened by Callie Torres, Derek saw the worry in her eyes. The stretcher was moved and he soon found Ethan being removed from his lap and being put on another stretcher by Arizona. He begin to promise, but Arizona said "Derek, I got him" in such a reassuring voice that Derek knew his son was in good hands. He was wheeled towards the ER and once inside Trauma Room 3, he was given the full workup by Owen which cleared him of any broken bones and any internal injuries. Once Owen left, his sister-in-law Lexie came in to stitch up his cuts along his arms and on his face. She asked for information and honestly he said "Lex, I don't know anything about my family."

Meredith was getting checked out by both Owen and Mark and for the one time that night, she felt at ease. Owen had cleared her from any internal injuries and Mark had said the cuts wouldn't need stitching. Mark was finishing with the butterfly stitches when Arizona came in with the sonogram machine and she started saying "How's Eth..?", and right away Arizona said "Ethan looks fine. He has a head lac that needs stitching and we sent up some labs, but he looks fine otherwise. Lexie is the one sewing him up right now, so he's pretty comfortable." Meredith smiled and sighed with relief, leaning back so that Arizona could check out the baby that was inside her. The gel was cold as usual and as soon as Meredith saw her baby on the screen, she was ecstatic. The baby looked fine, but Arizona said "Well, everything looks ok, but we're sending you up to OB right now. Meredith asked "What about Derek and Ethan?", and if on cue, her sister Lexie walked in. Meredith asked "How are my boys?", and Lexie said "I think your son is the best 3 year old that I have ever done stitches on. How are you?" Meredith said "Well, the baby and I are doing fine, but I'm going up to OB to make sure." Lexie said "I'll come with you" and Mer nodded in agreement. It would be nice to have one person she knew up on the 14th floor.

Derek was out of his room, going from one to the next looking for his wife until he saw Mark in the hallway outside of Curtain 2. He ran up to him and Mark saw him coming. Derek asked "Where are they Mark?', and Mark said "E-Man is fine in the lounge with Izzie and Mer went up to OB with Lexie. The baby looks fine and Mer only had a few cuts and bruises. As for the bastard that hit you though, Bailey is operating on him now. Seems he had a subdural hematoma from hitting the dash board, but he should recover." Derek shook his head. He had totally forgotten about the man that had caused his family harm and he would have to deal with the man later. He strolled towards the lounge and when he pushed the door open, he saw Izzie lift a finger to her lips. Beside her on the bottom bunk was Ethan sleeping heavily and Derek couldn't disturb him. He whispered "You got him, Iz? I'm gonna go see Meredith upstairs." Izzie nodded that it was fine and before Derek knew it, he was running as best he could towards the elevator after his pager went off saying 911-Meredith.

Meredith was breathing heavily with Lexie by her side. The contractions had kicked in about 20 minutes ago and they were fast and close together already. Dr. Jameson had said this could happen, but Meredith had thought everything was going smoothly. The nurses had paged Derek and she was just hoping that he would get there before this baby decided to make an appearance. Dr. Jameson had told her that the baby's lungs were fully developed and at 7 months, the baby had a good chance of surviving. Mer was scared and she knew she was crying as every contraction struck her body. Lexie was trying to calm her down, but all she wanted was her Derek. The doctor checked her and she knew from the feeling she had, it was time to push. Lexie held one leg and a nurse held the other while Meredith pushed with all her energy, crying at the same time. She was still crying when she heard the door slam open, and she saw her husband rush in to her side, kissing her, telling her "Everything's going to ok"

"Push Meredith," said Dr, Jameson and Meredith gave one last push before the baby came out. Derek cut the cord and right away, Dr. Jameson handed the baby to the NICU team. They heard from the table the murmuring of the doctors, trying to get the tiny baby to give out a cry. It was a boy and when he came out, he was slightly blue and fear stuck the two parents when he didn't give out the scream that they had witness from newborns so many times including Ethan. The room was silent, moments passing and finally, a baby's cry pierced the air, signaling everything was ok. Derek walked over to the baby who was on an oxygen mask, but finally a light pink color. He looked perfect with a dark fuzz of brown hair and green eyes like his mother. The baby was placed in an incubator and taken away towards the NICU leaving both parents struck with awe and fear.

**NAMES FOR BABY BOY SHEPHERD:****Should he be named:-Noah Sloan Shepherd **

**-Jacob Grey Shepherd**

**-Cameron William Shepherd **

**-Dylan Avery Shepherd **

**-Evan Marcus Shepherd **

**HELP ME DECIDE!**


	4. Living in the Moment

Derek Shepherd was standing beside his wife's bedside staring at the doorway where the NICU team had just taken his son through. Mer was crying next to him and he just didn't know what to do. He walked towards the door and stepped into the hallway just in time for him to see the incubator holding his son disappear behind a door that read Restricted. He wanted to follow them in so badly using his authority in the hospital to pass through but the cries of his wife from Room 1460 brought him back in and he decided they would have to wait together to go see their precious baby boy.

It was hours later and the sun was creeping through the blinds of the hospital room window. Meredith woke up and immediately looked around for her husband and son, but sitting up sharply caused her pain in her lower torso and she realized her baby wasn't in her room. She was so scared when the baby had come out blue and Meredith thought instead of a baptism, her and Derek would be planning a funeral. She didn't see Derek at all in her room and she paged the nurse. She asked "Is Dr. Jameson available?" and the nurse said "She'll be in momentarily. She is with your husband down at the NICU." Mer was a little hurt that Derek had gone to see the baby without her, but maybe he had some pictures to show her. Moments later in walked Derek and Dr. Jameson and Meredith braced herself for the worst. Derek came up beside her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly and reassuring her which she desperately needed. Dr Jameson started saying "Well, Baby Shepherd is looking ok for now. He is holding his own with a steady BP with a systolic of 80. The lungs look good and there is no sign of IVH or PDA which is great. You can go up and see him now, but he is staying on his oxygen now." Mer and Derek thanked her and a nurse wheeled in a wheelchair which Derek took from her hands, nodding that they would be fine. Derek helped Meredith into the wheelchair and they started their journey towards the NICU.

The two scrubbed in like they were headed into a big surgery, but as soon as they walked through the sliding glass doors, monitors sounded and they were in a new land. Every space was filled with an incubator and monitors, and worried parents stood by their child's bedside. They were directed by the nurse to an area towards the back in the left corner where there son lay alone on privacy. He was hooked with a oxygen mask and he was tiny, just too tiny. His chart said he was just three pounds, six ounces with a height of only 16 inches. If they were to bring him home, his big brother's stuffed bear would crush the poor baby and Derek laughed at the thought of Ethan playing with the new baby. For starters though, it needed a name because it just couldn't be the new baby for long.

Meredith stuck her hand through the hole and touched her baby's tiny hand. The whole hand of her son fit into her fist and when he began to cry in a low tone, she urged to reach in and hold him, comforting her son and making him feel safe. All she could do though was stroke his head until his cry turned to a whimper and his whimper turned to silence. He laid asleep even though the sound of the monitors beeping was keeping Mer and Der on edge. After staying there for a couple of hours, Meredith asked to be brought back to the room, but not before telling her son goodbye.

Mer had just been staring out the window since they got back to the room and Derek thought she needed a little cheering up. He went to make a phone call to Lexie and asked her if she could bring Ethan up. Ethan had been staying with Lexie and Mark for the last day ever since Ethan had been discharged. He met them by the elevator and asked them to go see the baby. Being family, they were the only ones from the whole bunch that were allowed in the NICU and he gave them a digital camera to take pictures of their son. As Lexie and Mark left down the hallway, Derek took his son's hand and led him towards the room. When they reached the doorframe, Meredith looked up and for the first time, she smiled.

"Mommy", screamed Ethan to Meredith and it reminded her of earlier when this had happened as they were leaving day care. Ethan started running forward towards the bed, but as he got closer he stopped short and stared at Meredith. "What's the matter Ethan?", asked Meredith and Ethan said "Where's my baby brofer? Aunt Lexie said I gots to see him." Meredith motioned for Derek to come over and bring the Polaroid pictures that the nurses had snapped of the baby. She grabbed the pictures and showed Ethan them and watched as her son stared in awe at them. He ran his finger down the picture and was in silence. He finally spoke asking "When I get to see him?", and Meredith said "Well baby, your brother was really tiny so he is in a special place where the doctors make him grow." "Like Jack and the Beanstalk, Mommy?", said Ethan. Smiling Meredith said "Like Jack and the Beanstalk, Ethan."

"What about Connor?", said Derek and Mer immediately shook her head no. She said "I had a kid in day care with me named Connor who use to eat all the paste. What about Patrick?" Derek said "Mer, we're not even Irish and besides, a patient I had was named Patrick and he had a fit, so he kicked me a little down south." Meredith laughed at the thought and looked out the doorway for some inspiration. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan's book on the table and the name just came to her. "Derek, she said. I know what to name him." Derek asked "What" and Meredith said……….


	5. Where Anything Could Go Wrong

_Meredith laughed at the thought and looked out the doorway for some inspiration. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan's book on the table and the name just came to her. "Derek, she said. I know what to name him." Derek asked "What" and Meredith said………._

"Noah. That has to be his name. Noah Sloan Shepherd," said Meredith. Derek said "I love the Noah part, but Sloan really. Why?' "Well, when you were out of town for a conference, who was the one who got me my pickles and mint chocolate chip ice cream at 4 am in the morning? Well that was your ex-best friend who turned back again to your best guy friend who slept with your ex-wife and who you punched in the face. I think we owe him a little bit." After her speech was over, Derek just nodded his head agreeing, knowing not to mess with his wife and her raging hormones.

She had taken a trip down to the NICU after Derek had left for home to see Ethan and wash up a little. Her precious baby boy was only 1.5 days old and he was struggling. Last night, he had a bout of apnea in which he stopped breathing for several seconds. Now he was a ventilator, not even breathing on his own and from the doctor's words and her own opinion, her baby boy wouldn't be home for several months. Anything could go wrong in those months and how could she leave her tiny son alone her for nights and just leave to go back home to her firstborn and husband acting like everything was normal? How would it feel to leave the hospital empty-handed? How could she work downstairs knowing that her son was upstairs? Meredith couldn't imagine at all what all this would be like, and letting go of her sleeping son's hand hurt so much, she didn't know how much more she could take.

He was home for the night with Ethan and sleeping in his own bed felt great, even with the squirming three year old next to him. When he went to go pick up Ethan at the Sloan's and he told his son that they were going to spend the night at home, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. After settling the boy down though, and going to bed himself, hours later he heard a scream from his son's room and ran to find his son in tears from a bad dream. After taking Ethan into his bed, the child had settled down and fallen asleep in the satisfaction of being with his father, and Derek only wished that he could have both of his sons with him.

It was a new morning and Meredith used the shower in the room's bathroom to clean herself up a little bit. She sat in the bottom of the shower for a bit, crying but no one heard since the bathroom door was closed and the noise of the shower drained out her voice. She sat there until the water turned cold and finally getting out, she protested the hospital gown and put on her own sweatpants and baggy t-shirt that smelled like the home she longed to go back to with her baby boy in her hands.

Derek had taken the day off and had spent the whole day with Ethan. He had first cooked chocolate chip pancakes to start the morning off and after spending the whole day at the zoo, Ethan's favorite place, they had gone back to Mark and Lexie's with a pizza in hand. After forcing Ethan out of his arms into the arms of his Uncle Mark, Derek had left to set out towards Seattle Grace. Pulling into his spot at the hospital, Derek nodded curtly as he walked in passing the nurse's station and not talking anyone, heading straight for the elevator. He headed up to Mer's room, but stopped when he heard Dr. Jameson being paged to the NICU. He panicked thinking it could be Noah, and he ran through the doors and plastered himself onto the window seeing his worst fear. Doctors and nurses swarmed his son's incubator and he saw people running here and there. The parents that were inside were holding their children and watching the doctors. Mothers were holding their children tighter and the fathers put their arms around the them, grateful that wasn't their child. All Derek could do was watch and when he saw the charge paddles being brought near his son's bed, he began to bang on the glass, screaming "Save my son!"


	6. When Bad Things Happen

_All Derek could do was watch and when he saw the charge paddles being brought near his son's bed, he began to bang on the glass, screaming "Save my son!"_

_Meredith was sleeping when she heard the familiar faint sound of a code blue alarm going off and right away, she sat up in the bed. Nurses ran past her doorway and Meredith being the curious person that she was stood up from her bed, putting the slippers onto her feet. She walked gently into the hallway and using the rail along the wall for support, she headed towards the NICU. She walked through the door and saw in front of her husband pounding at the glass and screaming. She looked past him and saw doctors around her son with charge paddles nearby. She whimpered and then the last thing she saw was her husband coming towards her. _

_Derek was beside Mer's bed, sitting in a chair chewing on his nails and waiting for Dr. Jameson to come in. His wife had come in, weak from the delivery and she collapsed there on the floor. What she hadn't seen though was Dr. Callum, the neonatal specialist shock their tiny son's heart back into a regular rhythm. Derek had never experienced anything so painful before and his heart ached for Noah and Meredith together. He didn't know what to do or say and when he heard footsteps by the door he looked up. There standing at the door was Dr. Jameson and Dr. Callum together, grim expressions on their faces._

_Meredith was shaken awake gently by Derek and she couldn't remembered what happened. There in front of her was Dr. Jameson and a doctor she didn't recognize until he began to talk. Flashbacks came at her in one shot and she remembered seeing the doctors, pushing meds into her son's IV and trying to get him stable. She didn't know if he was still alive and for once since her pregnancy and the birth of Noah, she didn't want to hear what the doctors needed to say. All Meredith wanted to do was go back to her dark and twisty self. _

_Dr. Callum begin to speak and Derek heart raced. "Your son had a seizure which caused his heart to stop. We had a hard time restarting it and the prognosis is grim," he said. A whimper came from the bed and Derek turned to see Meredith crying again and when he reached out to comfort her, she turned away. She shouted "Derek, this is all your fault! You crashed the car and caused all this. Get the hell away from me." She turned on her side and curled up in a ball, making sure no one could touch her. Derek heard the small sobs and saw the trembling, but tears were brewing in his eyes and he got up to leave, leaving a crying wife and two very confused doctors. _

_Derek went to the only place he felt safe and that was his tiny son. Noah was so little yet his parent's fate seemed to lie in his little hands. He was there safe haven and his little ears' held the secrets his parents told him and no one else. Derek sat in the rocking chair next to the incubator watching his son's chest rise and fall making sure that no beat was skipped. He was breathing and that was a sign of relief for Derek, but he knew something was wrong. That wasn't his wife back there talking to him; it was a stranger, an unknown to him and he just wanted his wife back._

_She was shoving clothes faster into the suitcase under her bag. Tears were falling hard into her suitcase, but she didn't care; all she wanted was to be home in her own bed, own clothes, and own life. She didn't want her new life to be controlled by monitors and machines; instead she wanted it back to normal. Derek had disappeared and she felt bad for what she did, but it seemed like it just didn't matter anymore. Zipping up the back, she swung it over her back and went to discharge herself from this hell hole._

_Derek was walking back to the room at an eager pace. He was happy because when he'd been with Noah, his son had opened his eyelids and started crying. Derek comforted him and he talked to Noah until the baby had fallen asleep. It was then when a fellow neurosurgeon Dr. Nelson came in to tell Derek the good news that Noah had no signs of brain bleeds. He knocked on Meredith's door and when no response came, he walked right in. The smile fell from his face when he saw lying in front of him was her hospital bracelet and the discharge papers. He was angry how his wife could be walking away from what truly mattered and he didn't know what to do. _


	7. Maybe We Can Work It Out

It had been so long since he'd come to visit at the hospital and all Mer wanted to do was hold her perfect son in her arms tightly. On her way home, she had swung by the Sloan's house and picked up Ethan from Grace, the Sloan's nanny. As soon as she saw her son, the curious little three year old asked for his daddy and baby brother. Meredith said "Well Ethan, I told you that your baby brother needs to grow a little and Daddy is going to stay with him to make sure baby Noah doesn't turn into a giant." At that point, Ethan nodded and giggled and Meredith tickled her son until the boy was begging for her to stop.

"How could she just leave me, Mark? Leave him?," said Derek. As soon as Der had discovered that his wife was gone, he knew immediately where she was going. He had called Grace to confirm that Mer had picked up Ethan and they were on their way home together. He shook his head and said to Mark "I mean how could she just leave him all alone? He's less then 5 pounds and struggling to survive, not even with his mother here to support and love him." Mark also shook his head, afraid to say anything at all costs so a fight didn't start to brew between the friends. Mark's pager went off and said he had to run and Derek watched him go. When he looked down and saw Noah sleeping, he knew there was nothing for him to do right now, and he called for Mark to wait up.

**THE NEXT DAY**

**She didn't know whether it was the fact that Derek hadn't come home last night that worried Meredith. It was the first time since she could remember that he wasn't there to snuggle tight with her. She decided to pack up Ethan and head to the hospital to find her husband. On the drive over, she looked up in the rearview mirror to see her son asleep once again. She smiled and kept on driving to Seattle Grace. When she had parked and picked up Ethan since he refused to walk, she went into the doors and smacked right into Lexie. "Hey Lex," said Meredith. "Hey, what are you doing here," said Lexie. "Well, Derek never came home last night so me and Ethan came here," said Meredith. Studying Lexie's face, she knew that her sister was holding something back from her but she just didn't mention it. Instead she asked her sister if she could watch Ethan while she went to find Derek. Lexie more than eagerly took her son from her and Meredith was on her way to find her husband.**

**He was in surgery, doing a risky procedure on a patient from the pileup last night. The man had presented with a couple of cuts and bruises plus a headache and nothing seemed wrong until his brain scans came back indicating a brain bleed that was slowly killing the man. Derek had taken on the difficult task of trying to repair the active bleed and so far, he was three hours into at least an eight hour surgery. He felt odd all of a sudden like someone was watching him and looking up, he saw his wife standing there in the viewing gallery. She waved and he saw a slight smile before turning back to the exposed brain in front of him. **

**She saw the procedure he was doing and she knew by looking at it that it was going to be awhile. She was going to go find Ethan when she decided to take a small detour. She hadn't seen the baby since the day she left and she wondered about him now, all day and all night. She didn't know what had happened, but that day she had just snapped. The pressure from having a preemie and then all the medical problems that happened afterward had just let the tension build up and finally it had broke. She scrubbed her hands at the NICU making sure that no germs would go in there and after putting on some scrubs, she pressed the button to let her into the world her son was living in. It seemed a little quiet and when Meredith walked by on the way to her son, she saw every baby sleeping. No parents were around except for her and she only saw 2 nurses in sight which somehow made her feel a bit more relaxed. She walked to where her son's incubator was and saw his bright green eyes were showing. He looked so content, laying there still as can be. Meredith was just looking at him when she was startled by a nurse she had never seemed before. "Hi, my name is Evelyn," said the nurse. "Hi," said Meredith. She wasn't much for talking at the moment. All she wanted was to look at her baby and watch him breathe gently. She was struck with awe when Evelyn asked "Would you like to hold him?" "Can I?" said Meredith. Evelyn said "Sit down" and Meredith sat down in the rocking chair next to the incubator and she watched as Evelyn lifted her precious little boy into her arms and gently placed him into her own. He stirred slightly and Mer just rocked him back and forth until it was totally quiet again. He still had a nasal cannula on him, but it was better than the vent which had been taken off a couple of hours before according to the chart on the side table. Mer couldn't believe that she had turned away from this precious baby and she vowed never to do it again.**

**Derek had finally finished surgery and was now looking for his wife. He had bumped into Lexie and Mark who were walking out with Ethan. "Where's Meredith?" asked Derek. Lexie said "we thought she was with you. Why don't you find her and when you do, come to dinner at our house? We'll take Ethan with us to play with Nate for awhile." Derek nodded and started walking to his safe haven before going to look for his wife. He scrubbed at the NICU and walked in, heading towards his son's corner when he stopped short. He saw a person holding his son and when he looked closer, he saw it was his wife. She had the baby in the crook of her left arm and with her right hand, she was stroking his head. She was smiling at the sleeping baby and Derek stepped forward. He saw his wife look up and she smiled at him. She started to say "I'm sor..", but Derek stopped her by putting a finger to his mouth, not wanting to ruin the perfect moment. **


	8. Where Bad Things Happen Again

1 WEEK LATER:

She was visiting Noah everyday and she continued to watch the boy get stronger by the minute. He was now at 3 lbs. 6 oz., almost 10 ounces up from when he was born and Meredith was able to hold him everyday. Yesterday, Derek had surprised her by bringing up Ethan to see his little brother and she and Derek had stepped back, holding hands while Ethan stood on a step-stool looking into his brother's incubator and stroked his head gently. Noah had been awake the whole time and was staring intently at his brother and when he spit up, Ethan proudly wiped the baby's mouth not even saying how gross it was. Meredith stood watching her two boys interacting with each other, hand in hand with her husband and she thought the moment couldn't be more perfect.

Derek was back at regular shifts at the hospital and life was going good. His wife seemed back to normal, Ethan was being an amazing big brother and Noah was striving all on his own. He still had his nasal cannula to help his breathe, but otherwise he was gaining weight and drinking a bottle every few hours. Derek was filling out a chart at the nurse's desk when Mark popped up next to him and said "Hey, how's the tater tot doing?" Derek replied with a smile and said "Noah's great. Mer's happy and Ethan is a great big brother. It looks like life is finally looking up for the Shepherd Clan." Mark smiled and said "That's great, man. Really great and if you ever need anything, just ask." With that, Mark walked away and Derek's pager rang.

She was asleep in the on-call room with Ethan next to her trying to catch up on the sleep she desperately needed. She was so deep in her sleep that she didn't wake up until she heard coughing over from the corner and her eyes immediately opened. Ethan was bending down over the trash can and before Meredith could get up, Ethan puked in the waste basket. When she went closer, she saw something she feared. Blood. It was blood that her son threw up and Meredith was more nervous than when Noah had been born prematurely. Ethan said "Mommy" in a whiny voice and Meredith picked up her son and ran to the ER. The first person she saw was Owen and she yelled "Hunt, get a gurney. It's Ethan." Putting Ethan on a gurney, she screamed for the nurse to page Derek.

He was running through the halls, flying actually. He knocked down crash carts, ran into nurses and even flipped an empty gurney. It was 911 page to the ER with Meredith's special code on it. He feared for Noah, but knew it couldn't possibly be him since he was safe in the NICU and then his fear turned over to Meredith. Maybe she had gone to work too soon. He crashed through the ER doors and saw Ethan, the one person who he thought was ok through all this. He saw the blood-stained chin, Owen yelling orders and finally, a look of panic so familiar to him on his wife's face.

It was hours later and Ethan was up in pediatric ICU under the care of Arizona which left Derek and Mer in some sort of comfort. Mer was sitting next to her oldest son who was laying in a bed with an IV and a towel on his head while Derek had gone up to the NICU to check on Noah. It was feared by both parents that whatever Ethan had, he might have passed it to his little brother and with Noah having a weak and underdeveloped immune system, the possibility was high. Ethan watched her cartoons with a pale face and Mer just sat in a chair next to him wondering what was going on inside of him.

Noah seemed fine and Derek headed back down to his other son's room. He wondered how it was possible to have two sick kids in the same hospital. All he wanted was for everyone to be better and home under one roof. He arrived at the door of Room 717 just in time to see Arizona coming around the corner along with a doctor he dreaded. He nodded curtly and walked in the room just hoping for the best.

Thoughts raced through her mind as she saw Dr. Casler follow Arizona into the room. She was all too familiar from years back and Meredith just wanted to know what he was doing here. Dr. Casler begin to speak saying "Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Grey. Dr. Robbins has brought me in to consult on your son's case. We ran some tests and found that your son has Acute lymphoblast leukemia, also known as ALL, but we seemed to have caught it at a reasonable stage for treatment. With regular chemotherapy and a possibility of a bone marrow transplant, it seems that your son has a 90% chance of recovery.

Meredith sobbed into Derek's chest and looked at her little boy. She looked at him more closely and saw the bruise on his leg that she thought had been from a fall. She saw his pale face and realized that never ending bleeding cut from two weeks ago was a sign and she was a doctor for God's sake. She should have known and that's what made her sob harder. She was doctor with 2 sick kids and she was losing hope.


	9. Author's Note

AUTHORS NOTE

Hello Readers. I am expecting mixed reactions from the last chapter and I know many of you will be surprised. It was my planned intention this whole time for Ethan to have cancer, hence the title _The Perfect Match. _Many of you will be surprised and think I am torturing this family, but what I am doing is putting the Shepherd Family to the test and show you how far a family can go in a journey like this. Noah Shepherd will continue to get better I promise you readers and I can also promise you that he is not the match for Ethan. Analyze as readers the last chapter closely and you will understand what I mean by this. Please continue reading and reviewing, plus you can give me ideas to make sure I never get stuck and continue writing this story. Thank you.

-Jordyn (otherwise known as lostluv)


	10. How It Could Fall Apart

His boys were sick and yet he was a highly recommended top doctor who couldn't do a damn thing. Meredith and him took shifts near each boy and it was now a constant struggle day by day and he realized that he and Meredith were falling apart. They never seemed to see each other and when they did, a fight broke out in a matter of minutes due to either exhaustion or frustration. He was angry at Meredith, but even angrier at himself for not being able to fix anything. At the moment, he was sitting next to Noah in the NICU. His youngest son was finally out of his incubator and instead in an open-aired bed where he was breathing on his own with no support at all. Dr. Jameson said that he could go home in about 10 days, but Derek didn't know if he was ready for the baby to come home to a fractured family when what he needed wasn't there.

Mer was sitting in the armchair next to Ethan's bed seeing her little boy sleep with such an angelic face even though it was the shade of the tile on the floors. He was so peaceful and he seemed to be getting slightly better and Dr. Casler said the chemo could start any day now once his fever went down. Her and Derek had taken the news harsh and they both snapped at anything these days. She felt like she was not being the best mom she could be. Even though she and Derek were taking shifts between the boys, she spent more time with Ethan than she did with Noah and that's what she regretted. She hated the fact that she had to choose, but for now she was choosing Ethan and she thought that was the best choice.

Derek had left Noah and was headed towards Ethan's new room in the Cancer Ward of the hospital, ready to switch shifts with Meredith. As he walked into Room 462, he stepped into the room and Meredith looked up, but no words were exchanged. She stood up and then bent down to kiss her little boy's face and Derek saw the tears running down her face. He heard her say "It's going to be ok Buddy. Be strong." With that, Meredith started towards the door, but Derek caught her hand and turned her around to face him. He said "Mer, It's going to be ok." Mer fired back though yelling "Derek, how the hell is everything going to be ok? We have a three year old son with cancer! A three year old who hasn't gone to pre-school or hit his first home run or even gone to his first baseball game. Then we have a newborn who has been struggling since his first day of life and we've been told he may have further problems. How is life going to be ok?" With that, Derek Shepherd watched his wife storm out of the room leaving a devastated husband and a newly waken three year behind.

She was crying as she ran down the hallway and the first supply closet she saw, she went into making sure that she locked the door behind her. She sobbed inside about how her life had been turned upside down in a matter of one month and why this was happening to her. She sobbed until no more tears ran and finally, she picked herself up and walked out of the closet with a tear stained face. On the way up to the NICU, she saw the stares of the people who watched her and she hid her face trying to avoid them. When she got up to the NICU, she couldn't pick up Noah. All she could do was stare at him and see how healthy he was getting compared to his sick brother downstairs, and Mer had hope that Ethan could be the same way. She was startled when Lexie snuck up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Lex, you scared me. What are you doing here?" "Well, your Post-It Note husband sent me up here to see you. Mer, he saw you crying as you left Ethan's room today." Lexie looked over towards Noah and saw he was fast asleep so she asked Meredith "Can we go grab a coffee for a minute?" Mer also saw that Noah was asleep and she nodded her head yes. They walked to the cafeteria in silence and got their coffee before stepping outside on the April night. The air was cool, but flowers were sprouting outside in the garden and the evidence if spring in the air was obvious. They sat on a bench and Meredith was the first one to speak. Actually she more like exploded with everything she had been carrying around for the last month. She yelled "Lex, why the hell is this happening to me? I mean I'm the girl who was abandoned by her freakin father when I was only 6 years old. My mom ignored me and I pushed my way through life. I found great friends and an even better husband to fill that hole and when we decided to have kids, it was suppose to fill that hole anymore. Ethan came and everything was perfect, but then that night ruined everything! My baby cam out sick and almost didn't make it. My husband and I have drifted farther apart and now I discovered the one strong thing in my life, my son Ethan has cancer. I don't know how to live anymore and I don't know if I can."


	11. 1 Year Later

Sorry for such a long break but school has been hell and I went on vacation plus my laptop crashed, so that was just perfect. Here is the long overdue 12th chapter to A Perfect Match.

* * *

1 Year Later :

It had been a hectic year and it was definitely a year to celebrate and reflect on. Meredith and Derek's marriage was now smooth after almost 6 months of marriage counseling that almost led them to a divorce. They had separated for quite a bit, almost 4 months with Meredith living in the house and Derek sleeping his trailer, but in the end with the help of a professional, it had all evened out. Noah was thriving and it he seemed like any other baby except for the fact that he was a little on the small side. He had come home at 3 months, tiny and fragile, but the combined efforts of Meredith and Derek had turned him into a bouncing toddler. His green eyes shined liked his brother's and his blonde hair matched his mother's. Ethan was also doing well and with the combined prayers of the people that loved him and the chemotherapy, he seemed to be in remission. Meredith thought that Ethan looked like any ordinary 4 year except for the fact that if anyone looked into his eyes, people saw that there was something there that had changed him forever.

Meredith heard the cry upstairs, followed by the sound of feet coming down the stairs. She saw Derek emerge into the kitchen with Noah, who was rubbing his eyes. She took the baby from his arms and she fed him the bottle that she had started preparing before. She sat in the kitchen chair just feeding Noah until she looked up and saw Derek staring at her. "What?," she said in a sarcastic tone. He responded back with a shrug and he went about his business around the house. Mer finished feeding Noah and then put him in the playroom making sure she latched the gate on the door, ensuring that the rambunctious 1 year old didn't get out. His birthday was 6 days away and all Meredith could think about was the party they were planning. For Ethan's first birthday, it had been an animal theme with a petting zoo coming to the house, but after seeing what the animals had done to the lawn, Meredith and Derek decided to go a safer route. It was going to be a simple barbeque in the backyard with the adults sitting at the table, most likely talking surgeries and all the children playing on the playground and in the bounce house they were renting. It all seemed like it would be perfect and nothing could go wrong. Meredith had had enough in her life and on Noah's birthday, everything was going to go perfect

_6 DAYS LATER _

_On the day of Noah's first birthday, Derek took Ethan to the store with him in the morning to pick up hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, French fries, and everything else that she had put on his list. As Ethan sat in front of him, rambling on about his cars, Derek couldn't help but study his son over. His green eyes shined as he talked, and a big smile was plastered on his face. Ethan's small figure came from his mother and his height was below average, but they knew that had been caused by the side affects from the chemotherapy. His hair had fully grown back in a matter of months and the IV scars had totally disappeared. He seemed like the average boy and only those close to the Shepherd's really knew what the boy had been through. "Daddy, are you listening to me?," said Ethan. Derek turned his head towards his son, smiled and said "Of course, Buddy!" _

_Meredith had been scrambling all morning. She had cleaned up the house and made room in the fridge for the food Derek was buying. She made sure that Maggie, their golden retriever had food in her bowl and that all the dog poop was cleaned in the backyard. She directed the men with the bounce house to the exact place where she wanted it, and she had ferociously scrubbed the char off the barbeque. It seemed everything was done around the house and Meredith started getting ready. She checked to make sure Noah was still sleeping from his nap and she grabbed the baby monitor, bringing it into the bathroom with her. She turned the shower on and took her sweatpants and sweatshirt off, stripping down to just her bra and underwear. She slipped those off as soon as the temperature was right and she put herself directly under the shower head, letting the warmth of the water run down her body. She closed her eyes and when she heard the creak of the bathroom door opening, she opened her eyes seeing her husband right there._

_She looked so god damn beautiful even with shampoo in her hair and her legs unshaved. He slowly closed the bathroom door and he stripped down to jump into the shower with his wife. He embraced her as he got in and held her there, trying to resist, but it was just to tempting. He started nibbling on her neck as he cupped her breasts, feeling them go hard at his touch. He felt her move down on him and he felt his lower part go numb. _

_She started making a low sounding groan as Derek let his hands glide down her body. She savored as he touched her breasts and as he moved his way down, the cry of the birthday boy brought them back to reality. Derek stepped back away and out of the shower so she could finish with her hair. She finished quickly and the crying over the monitor stopped as she heard Derek's voice talking lightly to Noah. She smiled and dried her hair before putting on the comfortable pair of jeans and a green sweater than complimented her eyes. After expertly applying makeup, and picking out the perfect shoes, she made her way down the stairs. She stopped at the kitchen door, and looked in as she saw her three boys sitting at the table. Noah sat in his high chair, eating dry cereal so it didn't mess up his jeans and brand new sweater. Derek was reading the paper while sipping a cup of coffee and Ethan was next to him, coloring in his Hot Wheels coloring book while trying not to get any marker on his brown pants or sweater that matched his brother's. _

_Derek looked up, sensing her presence and saw her standing over by the doorway. He gave her his McDreamy smile and said "You ready." _


End file.
